Brother Lustig facts for kids
Brother Lustig (which means Brother Merry or Brother Cheerful in German) is a famous fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It's story number 81 in their well-known book, Grimm's Fairy Tales, first published in 1812. This tale combines several older story types, like one about a missing lamb's heart, bringing someone back to life, and even tricking the Devil! It's a fun adventure about a clever soldier and his unexpected journey.
Contents
Brother Lustig's Journey Begins
Meeting a Mysterious Beggar
After a big war, many soldiers were sent home. One of them was Brother Lustig. He only received a small loaf of bread and four coins (called kreuzers) for his service. As he walked, he saw a poor beggar. This beggar was actually Saint Peter in disguise.
Lustig felt sorry for the beggar. "I don't have much," he said. "But I'll share what I have." He broke his bread into four pieces and gave one piece and one coin to the beggar. The beggar thanked him and left.
Soon, Lustig met another beggar, who was also Saint Peter in disguise. Lustig gave him another quarter of his bread and another coin. Then, for a third time, he met a beggar (Saint Peter again!). Lustig gave away his third share of bread and coin.
Now, Brother Lustig had only one piece of bread and one coin left. He went into an inn, ate his bread, and bought a small beer. Feeling refreshed, he continued his journey.
A New Travel Companion
Lustig soon met another discharged soldier. This was Saint Peter, disguised yet again! The soldier asked Lustig if he had any food or money. Lustig explained how he had given everything away. "Now I have nothing," he said. "If you have nothing either, we can beg together."
"That won't be needed," said Saint Peter. "I am good at medicine. I can earn enough for both of us. Whatever I get, you will have half." So, the two set off together.
Miracles and Tricky Situations
The Miraculous Cure
The two travelers soon heard loud crying from a farmhouse. Inside, a man was very sick, and his wife was weeping. "Stop that noise!" said Saint Peter. "I will cure your husband." He took out a special salve, put it on the man, and instantly, the man was well!
The couple was so happy. They offered Saint Peter a reward, but he refused. Brother Lustig nudged him. "Take something!" he whispered. "We really need it!" The woman offered a lamb. Saint Peter still refused. Lustig nudged him again. "You fool, take it!" he insisted.
Finally, Saint Peter agreed. "Very well, I'll take the lamb, but I won't carry it." Brother Lustig lifted the lamb onto his shoulders, and they went into the woods.
The Missing Lamb's Heart
Brother Lustig was hungry. "Let's cook the lamb here," he said. Saint Peter agreed but said, "I won't help cook. I'll take a walk. Don't eat any until I return."
Lustig killed and cooked the lamb. When it was done, he found the heart. "They say the heart is the best part," he thought, and he ate it all.
When Saint Peter returned, he said, "The lamb is ready. You can have it all, except for the heart. I want only that." Lustig pretended to search for the heart. "There's no heart here," he said.
"How can there be no heart?" asked Saint Peter.
"It's a known fact," Lustig replied, "lambs don't have hearts!" Saint Peter thought about it. "If that's true," he said, "then I don't want any of the lamb. You can eat it all." Lustig ate half and saved the rest.
A Tricky River Crossing
They continued their journey. Suddenly, Saint Peter made a huge river appear in their path. "You go first," he told Lustig. Lustig was scared of the strong current. "No, you go first," he replied.
Saint Peter stepped into the water, which only reached his knees. Seeing it was safe, Lustig followed. But for him, the water rose to his neck! "Oh, brother, help me! I'm drowning!" he cried.
"Do you admit you ate the lamb's heart?" asked Saint Peter. "No, I didn't!" Lustig insisted. The water got deeper. "Help me!" he cried again. "Do you admit you ate the lamb's heart?" Saint Peter asked once more. "No, I didn't!" Lustig repeated. Saint Peter then made the water drop and pulled Lustig out.
Raising the Dead and Gold
Bringing a Princess Back to Life
They traveled on, with Lustig still not knowing who his companion truly was. They heard that a king's daughter was dying. "This is our chance!" Lustig exclaimed. "If you heal her, we'll be rich!"
But Saint Peter walked slowly. When they heard the princess had died, Lustig was angry. "We missed our chance because you were so slow!"
"Be quiet!" Saint Peter replied. "I don't just heal people. I can also bring the dead back to life!"
"Well," said Lustig, "if that's true, we should ask for half the kingdom as a reward!" They went to the palace. Saint Peter told the king he could revive his daughter.
In the princess's room, Saint Peter asked for a pot and water. He told everyone but Lustig to leave. He then cut off the princess's limbs and put them in the pot. He boiled them until only clean bones remained. He arranged the bones on a table. Then, he called out three times, "In the name of the Holy Trinity, little girl, arise!" On the third call, the princess sat up, fully alive and well.
The king was overjoyed. He offered Saint Peter anything, even half his kingdom. But Saint Peter refused any reward. Lustig nudged him sharply. "Don't be a fool! If you don't want anything, I do!" The king saw Lustig wanted a reward and filled his knapsack with gold.
Sharing the Gold
The two left the palace. In a clearing, Saint Peter said, "Now we share the gold." He divided it into three piles. Lustig was confused, as there were only two of them.
"I've divided it equally," Saint Peter explained. "One share for me, one for you, and a third share for whoever ate the lamb's heart."
"Oh, that's easy!" Lustig said, quickly grabbing two piles of gold. "I ate it!"
"But that can't be true," Saint Peter said, "because it's a well-known fact that a lamb has no heart!"
"Don't be silly!" Lustig retorted. "Of course, lambs have hearts, like all animals! How else could they live?" Saint Peter replied, "Very well. You can keep all the gold. But I will not travel with you anymore. You go your way, and I will go mine." Lustig agreed, not sad to part with his "strange" companion.
Brother Lustig's Mistakes
A Failed Attempt to Raise the Dead
Brother Lustig quickly spent all his gold. He gave some away and spent the rest. Soon, he had nothing left. He heard that a king's daughter in another country had just died. "Ah," he thought, "this is my chance! If I can bring her back, I'll ask for half the kingdom!"
The king had heard about a soldier who raised a princess in a nearby kingdom. He wondered if it was Lustig. His advisors told him to try, as he had nothing to lose.
Lustig ordered a pot and water. He sent everyone out. He cut the princess's limbs and boiled them until only bones remained. He laid the bones on a table, just as he had seen Saint Peter do. But he didn't know the correct order and placed them wrongly.
He cried out three times, "In the name of the Holy Trinity, little girl, arise!" Nothing happened. In a panic, he yelled, "Get up, get up, or you'll be sorry!"
Just then, Saint Peter appeared through the window, disguised as a soldier again. "You godless man!" he demanded. "What are you doing? The girl won't rise because you've mixed up her bones! I will help you this one time. But you must never do this again, and you must accept no reward from the king, no matter how small."
Saint Peter then correctly arranged the bones. He called out three times, "In the name of the Holy Trinity, little girl, arise!" The princess sat up, perfectly healthy. Saint Peter left through the window at once.
Lustig was happy the girl was alive but annoyed he couldn't take a reward. "How dare he!" he thought. "He gives with one hand and takes with the other!" When the king offered him anything, Lustig was afraid to accept. But he winked and hinted that he would like his knapsack filled with gold. The king did so.
Outside, Saint Peter was waiting. "What kind of man are you?" he asked. "Did I not forbid you to take any reward?" Lustig replied, "What can I do when people just put things in my knapsack without me knowing?" Saint Peter warned him that if he did it again, he would be sorry. But he added, "I will grant you one thing: whatever you wish to be in your knapsack will be there." Then Saint Peter left, and Lustig was relieved.
The Magic Knapsack
Roasted Geese and Angry Innkeepers
Brother Lustig quickly spent his gold again. He was down to his last four coins. He went into an inn and bought wine and bread. As he ate, he smelled roasting goose. He saw two geese cooking in the oven.
He remembered Saint Peter's gift: whatever he wished for would appear in his knapsack. He went outside and wished, "I wish those two roasted geese would leave that oven and be in my knapsack!" He looked inside, and there they were! He went to a meadow and ate one.
While he was eating, two hungry men approached. "Take it," Lustig said, offering the second goose. "This one is enough for me." They thanked him and took it to the inn, ordering wine.
The innkeeper's wife saw them. "Go check if those two are eating our geese!" she told her husband. The innkeeper saw his geese were gone. He rushed to the men, shouting, "You rogues! Did you think you'd eat my goose for free? Pay up or I'll beat you!"
"We're not thieves!" they protested. "The soldier in the meadow gave us this goose!" The innkeeper didn't believe them. He grabbed a stick and chased them out.
Dancing Devils in a Castle
Brother Lustig continued his journey. He came to a beautiful castle with a rundown inn nearby. He asked for a room at the inn, but all rooms were taken by noblemen. "Why do these lords stay here and not in the castle?" Lustig asked.
"No one can spend the night there," the innkeeper said. "Whoever tries always dies." Lustig looked at the castle. "If others have tried, so will I," he declared. "Give me the key, bread, and wine for supper."
He entered the castle, ate his simple meal, and settled down for the night, using his knapsack as a pillow. In the middle of the night, a loud noise woke him. He opened his eyes and saw nine ugly devils dancing around him in a circle.
"Dance all night if you want," he shouted, "but don't come any closer!" But the devils danced nearer, almost stepping on his face. In anger, Lustig grabbed a chair leg and swung it at them. But they grabbed his hair and pulled hard.
"Devils, you've gone too far!" he cried. "Into the knapsack with you!" Instantly, all nine devils were inside his knapsack. Brother Lustig fastened it tightly, threw it into a corner, and slept until morning.
The innkeeper and noblemen came to collect Lustig's dead body. They were amazed to find him alive and the devils trapped in his knapsack! The noblemen thanked him, gave him rewards, and begged him to stay. But Brother Lustig said he had to go.
Lustig found a blacksmith. He told the men to hit his knapsack with their heavy hammers as hard as they could. They did, and the devils inside howled terribly. When Lustig peeked inside, eight devils were dead. The ninth, barely alive, slipped out and crawled back to Hell.
The Road to Heaven
A Visit to Hell's Door
After many travels, Brother Lustig grew old. He went to a holy hermit and asked, "I am old and tired. How do I get into Heaven?" The hermit replied, "There are two roads: one is wide and pleasant but leads to Hell. The other is rough and narrow, and leads to Heaven."
Brother Lustig didn't want the rough road. He took the wide, pleasant one. Soon, he came to a huge black door – the Door to Hell. He knocked. The doorkeeper opened it. It was the same ninth devil who had escaped his knapsack! The devil shook with fear. He quickly bolted the door and ran to the Devil himself.
"There's a fellow at the door demanding to be let in!" the devil cried. "But whatever you do, don't let him in! He'll wish all of Hell into his knapsack! I know, I got a hammering in there!"
So, the Devil and his demons went to the door. "Go away!" they shouted. "We don't want you here!" Lustig thought, "Well, if they won't have me here, I must try the other place."
Tricking His Way into Heaven
Brother Lustig turned around and walked until he reached the Gates of Heaven. He knocked. When Saint Peter came to the gates, Lustig recognized him as his old travel companion. "This is better," he thought. "My old friend will surely let me in."
But Saint Peter said, "I don't think Heaven is the right place for you." Brother Lustig replied, "I have to go somewhere, brother. They wouldn't let me into Hell, so I have to come in here. But if you won't let me enter, then take back your knapsack, for I want nothing you have given me."
He handed the knapsack to Saint Peter, who took it and hung it beside him. Then, Brother Lustig said, "I wish I was in the knapsack!" And just like that, he was inside Heaven. Saint Peter could not turn him out.
Images for kids
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Brother Lustig tries to sort the bones - Wilhelm Stumpf (1901)
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Brother Lustig encounters the devils - illustration by Philipp Grot Johann (1893)
